“Happy and healthy”- Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone opens up after big win at Grand Slam Track 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was the one to win big at the inaugural Grand Slam Track, which concluded in Kingston, Jamaica. The world record holder in the women’s 400-meter hurdles recently posted a post-race update after becoming the first grand slam champion in the 400 m. McLaughlin-Levrone took home the top prize of the event, concluding the Kingston chapter of the Grand Slam Track.

US Sprinter Michael Johnson came up with the idea of Grand Slam Track. He created the format in order to bring more opportunities for track and field athletes. The event will be featured in four different places, with Kingston being the inaugural location and then moving to Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, respectively. The athletes have to participate in two events during the three-day meet, and their cumulative score from the two races will determine the winner.

McLaughlin-Levrone was one of the major athletes who won big on Sunday at the National Stadium in Kingston. She completed the race in 50.32 seconds to win her second race of the three-day event. In her recent Instagram post, she opened up about how she felt post-event. In the post, she said:

"Happy and healthy onto the next"

Miami is the next venue for the Grand Slam Track, and it will play host from May 2 to 4.

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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on Paris Olympics 2024

Wanda Diamond League 2024 Final - Allianz Memorial Van Damme Brussels - Source: Getty

At 25, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran a world record-setting run, winning the second consecutive gold at the Olympics. Her 50.37 became the new world record in 400 m hurdles, the sixth time she broke it. In a conversation with Olympics.com, McLaughlin-Levrone, when asked about the mid-race awareness of pace, said:

"You never really know what's going on. It's really just running all the way through the line. I did get a quick glance at the clock, so I was like, 'Just get over this last hurdle and sprint through the line."

Talking about her approach and mindset, McLaughlin-Levrone said that while she believes in practising the thing a million times, she mixes it with a never-done-before approach. So, even though she has practised a run numerous times, she will get into the competition with a mindset that she hasn’t won a medal before and this is the only time to make it happen.

"I treat every meet like its own. So, this was my first time in Paris racing for this Olympic gold. I was just treating it like this was my first time here, and, trying to go for it the same way."

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be taking home a jackpot of $100,000. Sasha Zhoya from France, Emmanuel Wanyonyi from Kenya, and Mathew Hudson-Smith from Britain are other athletes who won big at the Grand Slam Track.